State's poet laureate quits; resume was fiction

SACRAMENTO -- La Jolla poet Quincy Troupe resigned his post as California's first official poet laureate Friday after four months, announcing he had falsified information on his resume for the post.

Troupe, appointed June 11 by Gov. Gray Davis, stated in his resignation letter: "I deeply regret my ill-advised decision to include inaccurate information on my curriculum vitae. While I attended Grambling College, I never earned a college degree."

Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio said the discrepancy arose during a routine background check for Troupe's confirmation by the state Senate.

Maviglio said of Troupe, "He was extremely popular. His work was fantastic. He was loved among his students. It's a shame."

In June, Davis picked Troupe, 62, from three finalists for the position, which includes a $10,000 honorarium to give readings across the state and raise the profile of poetry among schoolchildren.

Troupe, a professor of creative writing and American and Caribbean literature at the University of California, San Diego, is the author of 13 books, including six books of poetry. Nominated by the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, he said in a swearing-in ceremony attended by numerous poets, "I intend to do a great job."

GUESS WHO APPOINTED HIM ;-?

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Troupe, a professor of creating writing and American and Caribbean Literature at the University of California, San Diego, is the author of 13 books including six books of poetry.

What is wrong about saying he had a degree and didn't in these days and times? He is a poet, he did write a lot of poetry, and he fulfills the affirmative action California embraces so politically correctly. If they about face on this issue, why have a national holiday for a man that plageurized his doctoral thesis so everyone could call him the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King? I am sure he didn't get on the staff at a major university by misrepresenting himself after all...

A black guy who couldn't get a degree at Grambling? Impossible!!! Have you ever talked to a Grambling grad? Lot of them working for the federal government. Literacy is not madatory. It is a "throw off the white mans' chain" issue and if a degree is what will help your black self-esteem, here it is.

How could Troupe not get a degree? And, why didn't Davis just award him a degree? Troupe still had a chunck of the $10,000 that he hadn't already kicked back to Davis's people, he could have gotten a degree for what he had left.

Gee, I hate to see a token black who worked his way up the affirmative action ladder on his race, alone, get hurt by whitey's rules. Fortunately, the university where he teaches black studies knows that a bachelir's degree is not a required credential when we are dealing with life experiences. My bet is the university will not dare say a word for fear of the student riots that would ensue.

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